Maintenance aware robot-based delivery system

The exemplary embodiments relate generally to delivery systems, and more particularly to robot-based delivery systems that coordinate the use of drones in delivering packages by incorporating maintenance needs.

A delivery organization may utilize various means of delivering a package from a first location to a second location. With regard to delivery of the package from a warehouse or other storage location to a customer location, the delivery organization may rely on conventional means such as an entirely manual process involving one or more individuals who locate a product in the warehouse, create the package, load the package to a delivery vehicle, transport the package via the delivery vehicle, and complete the delivery of the package. The introduction of robots with automated movement and load carrying capabilities has allowed one or more of the above noted delivery steps to be performed by the robots. For example, the robots may be drones with ground (e.g., driving) and/or air (e.g., flight) movement capabilities. The drones being robots overcome a plurality of drawbacks of using manual labor such as human error, fatigue, etc. In this manner, the drones may increase a total uptime in which the delivery operations are being performed. However, the drones introduce other issues that need to be addressed. For example, the drones may use a portable power supply that needs to be recharged or replaced. In another example, the drones may require other forms of maintenance (e.g., replacement or fixing of broken parts). In this manner, the drones may decrease the total uptime.

The exemplary embodiments disclose a method, a computer program product, and a computer system for coordinating a robot-based delivery system. The method comprises receiving performance information associated with a delivery robot of the robot-based delivery system. The performance information is indicative of operational parameters of the delivery robot. The method comprises determining one or more maintenance tasks to be performed on the delivery robot prior to a delivery task in collecting a package and delivering the package based on the performance information. The method comprises determining a time required to perform the one or more maintenance tasks. The method comprises determining a location on a delivery arrangement of the robot-based delivery system based on the one or more maintenance tasks and the time. The delivery arrangement includes a package conveyor on which the package is placed and moved therealong and a delivery robot conveyor on which the delivery robot is to be placed and moved therealong. The method comprises transmitting an instruction to the delivery robot to land on the delivery robot conveyor at the location such that the one or more maintenance tasks being performed is synchronized with the delivery robot being prepared for the delivery task.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the exemplary embodiments. The drawings are intended to depict only typical exemplary embodiments. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosed herein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may be embodied in various forms. The exemplary embodiments are only illustrative and may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope to be covered by the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.

References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an exemplary embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

In the interest of not obscuring the presentation of the exemplary embodiments, in the following detailed description, some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may have been combined together for presentation and for illustration purposes and in some instances may have not been described in detail. In other instances, some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may not be described at all. It should be understood that the following description is focused on the distinctive features or elements according to the various exemplary embodiments.

The exemplary embodiments are directed to a method, computer program product, and system for coordinating a robot-based delivery system. The exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism that determines an optimization solution to coordinate a plurality of robots to deliver packages from a source location to destination. The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to drones that collect and deliver respective packages. The exemplary embodiments determine a predicted maintenance time for each of the drones such that the exemplary embodiments place each of the drones in an appropriate, respective position in a queue to collect its package. The proper placement in the position allows respective maintenance to be performed on the drone prior to a next delivery. Key benefits of the exemplary embodiments may include coordinating the maintenance of drones while maintaining a queue progression speed of the drone in a synchronized manner, thereby maximizing an uptime to utilize each drone. Detailed implementation of the exemplary embodiments follows.

Drone or robot-based delivery is being incorporated at increasing rates to deliver products to destinations (e.g., customer locations). Based on appropriate instructions, the drones may be configured to automatically collect a product (e.g., a pre-packaged product) from within a warehouse and deliver the product (e.g., as a package) to the customer. As a result of the drones being kept idle (e.g., not performing a constructive task or having a constructive act performed thereon such as maintenance), this results in a loss of productivity as an uptime of the drone is decreased. To optimize the robot-based delivery system, the system is expected to maximize the utilization of each drone. At the same time, the system is required to perform maintenance when required (e.g., ad hoc), on a time to time basis (e.g., at predetermined intervals), when an event is registered (e.g., an alert is triggered such as a low battery state). The maintenance may include a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, recharging a battery, replacing a battery, replacing a part such as a blade, or any other maintenance activity (e.g., cleaning internal or external components, applying or adding fluids such as oils as needed, etc.).

Conventional approaches have been proposed to utilize drones. For example, a conventional approach provides a station configured to deploy, recharge, or perform maintenance on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). However, this conventional approach merely describes a station without any regard to coordinating a plurality of UAVs to optimize utilization of the UAVs in a robot-based delivery system. This conventional approach further does not determine the types of maintenance that is required that provides an input to further determinations in the coordination mechanism. In another example, a conventional approach provides an automated system and method for controlling a plurality of UAVs in which telemetric data is received from the UAVs such that control data is transmitted to the UAVs where the control data is indicative of plans for each of the plurality of UAVs and for a predetermined time period. However, this conventional approach simply determines how to operate the UAVs without an optimization determination that optimizes utilization of the UAVs in a robot-based delivery system. This conventional approach further is not directed to product handling or robot-based delivery systems such that associated operations and considerations are not incorporated in the purported solution of this conventional approach. In a further example, a conventional approach enables autonomous flight for a drone using a GPS device that guides the drone along a sequence of waypoints and enables it to return to a launching point where the drone may carry small payloads. However, this conventional approach focuses on individual drone performance without any regard to coordinating a plurality of UAVs to optimize utilization of the UAVs in a robot-based delivery system.

The exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism to increase the utilization of drones by minimizing idle time of the drones thereby maximizing uptime of the drones and determining an optimization solution by balancing the utilization of the drones while performing the necessary maintenance on the drones to perform another delivery. As any maintenance activity requires some amount of time, the exemplary embodiments identify the maintenance needs and determine the appropriate solution to addressing these maintenance needs while still coordinating the drone's next delivery task. As will be described in further detail below, the exemplary embodiments may utilize a delivery arrangement for packages to be delivered and drones to deliver the packages via a package conveyor and a drone conveyor, respectively. The delivery arrangement may allow packages to be moved to the drones and allow drones to be moved to the packages such that the maintenance needs of the drones may be met while awaiting to collect a package. The exemplary embodiments may provide the features described herein by determining a relative location for the drone to be positioned in the delivery arrangement based on an optimization solution that addresses both maintenance needs and maximizing drone utilization.

The exemplary embodiments are described with particular reference to the robot-based delivery system utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles or drones that are instructed to receive a package and deliver the package to a destination. However, the use of the drone is only exemplary. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized and/or modified to instruct any robot or automated device that is capable of receiving a package and delivering the package to the destination. Thus, any use of the drone may represent any delivery robot. In this manner, any term with a descriptor being a drone may also be for a delivery robot (e.g., a drone conveyor may represent any delivery robot conveyor).

depicts an exemplary schematic diagram of a robot-based delivery system, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. According to the exemplary embodiments, the robot-based delivery systemmay be for a warehouseincluding a delivery arrangementand a coordination server, which may all be interconnected via a network. While programming and data of the exemplary embodiments may be stored and accessed remotely across several servers via the network, programming and data of the exemplary embodiments may alternatively or additionally be stored locally on as few as one physical computing device or amongst other computing devices than those depicted.

In the exemplary embodiments, the warehousemay be a building in which packages are assembled (e.g., housing a product in a packaging box and sealing the packaging box with the appropriate labels). The warehousemay include sections (not shown) dedicated to housing various types of products in various quantities. When the warehouseis identified as housing a requested product (e.g., by a central server of a delivery entity that catalogues the available products and locations in which the products are housed that identifies from among a plurality of warehouses that the warehouseis selected based on a location of the destination), the package may be assembled. For example, the warehousemay employ individuals who are directed to assemble the packages and place the packages on the delivery arrangement. In another example, the warehousemay include automated devices receiving instructions to assemble a package for a product given a location within the warehouse(e.g., aisle, level, palette, etc.) for subsequent placement on the delivery arrangement.

In the exemplary embodiments, the networkmay be a communication channel capable of transferring data between connected devices. Accordingly, the components of the robot-based delivery systemmay represent network components or network devices interconnected via the network. In the exemplary embodiments, the networkmay be the Internet, representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways to support communications between devices connected to the Internet. Moreover, the networkmay utilize various types of connections such as wired, wireless, fiber optic, etc. which may be implemented as an intranet network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a combination thereof. In further embodiments, the networkmay be a Bluetooth network, a WiFi network, or a combination thereof. In yet further embodiments, the networkmay be a telecommunications network used to facilitate telephone calls between two or more parties comprising a landline network, a wireless network, a closed network, a satellite network, or a combination thereof. In general, the networkmay represent any combination of connections and protocols that will support communications between connected devices. For example, the networkmay also represent direct or indirect wired or wireless connections between the components of the robot-based delivery systemthat do not utilize the network. In a particular implementation, the networkmay be a closed network (e.g., an intranet) that allows the components of the robot-based delivery systemto communicate with one another. Select components of the robot-based delivery systemmay be configured to interact with outside networks (e.g., the Internet) such as when communicating with a central server of the delivery entity that identifies the warehouseas housing a particular product to be packaged and delivered to a destination. The networkbeing a closed network may still allow components of the robot-based delivery systemthat are outside the warehouseto maintain a communication pathway with components that are within the warehouse.

In the exemplary embodiments, the delivery arrangementmay include a package conveyorand a drone conveyor. The delivery arrangementmay be an arrangement that is used for the coordination of the packages that are outbound to respective destinations and automated delivery robots that deliver the packages to the respective destinations. The delivery arrangementmay identify the packages while held thereon and position the automated delivery robots in a determined location to collect and deliver a predetermined package while receiving any maintenance tasks prior to collection.

depicts an exemplary package conveyorof a delivery arrangementin the robot-based delivery system, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. As illustrated, the package conveyormay include a plurality of package tracksthat carry one or more packages. The package tracksmay each be moving in a common direction Dp at a common speed. The number of package tracksshown inis only illustrative and the exemplary embodiments may utilize any number of package tracks.

The packagesmay be one or more products housed in a respective packaging box. The packagesmay also include one or more delivery labels (e.g., placed on the packaging box) that indicate delivery information (e.g., source information, destination information, etc.). Each of the packagesmay further include one or more identification labels (e.g., placed on the packaging box) combined with or separate from the delivery labels that uniquely identify the package(e.g., a scannable code such as a barcode).

The package tracksmay include conveyor components. For example, the package conveyormay be a belt conveyor in which each of the package tracksmay include a conveyor belt in a closed loop that provides a carrying medium for the packagesplaced thereon moved via pulleys or drums. The package tracksmay also include one or more sensors (not shown). The sensors may be configured to read the identification labels on the packagethat uniquely identify the package. For example, the sensors may be an imager, a barcode reader, etc. The sensors may further be configured to generate location information of the packageson the package tracks. For example, the sensors may generate the location information that indicates which of the package tracksthat the packageis placed, a timestamp of when the packageis placed on the package track(e.g., a location being determined based on a speed that the package conveyormoves the packageon the package track), an actual location of the packageon the package conveyor(e.g., a two-dimensional coordinate system may be virtually represented for the package conveyorthat indicates a specific location of the package), etc.

depicts an exemplary drone conveyorof the delivery arrangementin the robot-based delivery system, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. As illustrated, the drone conveyormay include a plurality of drone tracksthat carry one or more drones. The drone tracksmay include components (e.g., conveyor components, sensors, etc.) substantially similar to the package tracks. The dronesmay represent the automated delivery robots used in collecting and delivering the packages. The drone tracksmay each be moving in a common direction Dd at a common speed. The number of drone tracksshown inis only illustrative and the exemplary embodiments may utilize any number of drone tracks.

The dronesmay be one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) configured with a load carrying device as well as an air movement device. For example, each of the dronesmay be equipped with articulating arms that hold the package, move the package into and out of a carriage, etc. In another example, each of the dronesmay be equipped with a flight device (e.g., one or more propellers having one or more blades), an engine (e.g., to actuate the flight device), a power supply (e.g., a battery to provide electrical energy to the engine), etc. The dronesmay also be configured with a processor, a location device, etc. The processor may be configured to control the movement of the dronebased on instructions that are received. The processor may also be configured to generate performance information with regard to performance of the drone(e.g., a battery level, an energy use level such as a ratio of distance to energy use, etc.). The performance information may be indicative of operational parameters in operating the droneincluding mechanical operations to move the drone, electrical operations in powering and utilizing electrical components, electromechanical operations, etc. The location device may be a GPS, a triangulation component, a signal processing device (e.g., RSSI), etc. to determine a geographic location of the drone, determine a flight path to reach a destination from the warehouseand return to the warehouse, determine distance information to travel in the flight path, etc. The dronesmay further be configured with a communication device. For example, the dronesmay each include a transceiver configured to wirelessly exchange data.

The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to the delivery arrangementincluding the package conveyorand the drone conveyorutilizing conveyors. However, this implementation utilizing conveyors is only for illustrative purposes. The delivery arrangementmay utilize any means by which the packagesand the dronesmay be moved for the coordination to be orchestrated. For example, the packagesmay be carried on independently moving ground vehicles that collect the package, move to a loading area, and await the packageto be collected by the drone. The exemplary embodiments may utilize any mechanism by which a packageis positioned at a known location and oriented such that the dronemay properly collect the package.

The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to the package conveyorhaving the package tracksthat each move along the direction Dp and the drone conveyorhaving the drone tracksthat each move along the direction Dd. In this manner, as will be described in further detail below, the determination of the locations of the packagesand the dronesthat have been placed on the package conveyorand the drone conveyormay be performed with less complexity. The common direction may also enable subsequent locations of dronesyet to be placed on the drone conveyorto be determined. However, this configuration of a common direction of the tracks in the respective conveyor is only for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may utilize the package conveyorand/or the drone conveyorsuch that the package tracksand/or the drone tracksmove in independent directions (e.g., a first track moves in a first direction while a second track moves in a second, different direction).

The package tracksand/or the drone tracksare also illustrated with a parallel orientation. However, the parallel orientation is only illustrative. Other orientations may be utilized. The package tracksand/or the drone tracksmay also utilize a single track that is parallelly looped (e.g., an S-pattern where a first end of a first track is connected to a first end of a second track, a second end of the second track is connected to a first end of a third track, etc.). In this manner, the packagesand/or the dronesmay move along a known, fixed path. In another manner, the package conveyormay utilize a closed loop in which the packagesmay continue to remain on the package trackuntil the dronehas collected the package.

The exemplary embodiments are also described with regard to the package conveyorhaving the package tracksthat each move along a common direction at a constant speed. In this manner, as will be described in further detail below, the determination of the locations of the packagesand the dronesthat have been placed on the package conveyorand the drone conveyor, respectively, may be performed with less complexity. The common direction may also enable subsequent locations of the dronesyet to be placed on the drone conveyorto be determined. However, this configuration of a constant speed of the tracks in the respective conveyor is only for illustrative purposes. The package tracksand/or the drone tracksmay be configured to dynamically adjust the speeds to compensate for a variety of factors (e.g., an increase in the speed may allow for a faster collection as a result of an increased number of packageswith an increased number of drones, a decrease in speed may allow for greater maintenance tasks to be performed, etc.).

The exemplary embodiments are further described with the package conveyorand the drone conveyorhaving common characteristics. For example, the package conveyorand the drone conveyormay each have the same number of the package tracksand the drone tracks. In another example, the package conveyorand the drone conveyormay each have the package tracksand the drone tracksmoving the packagesand the dronesat the same speed. However, the number of tracks and the speed being the same between the package conveyorand the drone conveyoris only illustrative. In other exemplary embodiments, the package conveyorand the drone conveyormay have a different number of tracks and/or utilize a different speed of the tracks. As will be described in further detail below, the number of tracks and the speed of the tracks may be continuously known factors such that the exemplary embodiments may make determinations with accuracy.

depicts an exemplary delivery arrangementincluding the package conveyorofand the drone conveyorof, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. As illustrated, the drone conveyormay be placed over the package conveyorto create a cross pattern. For example, the drone tracksof the drone conveyormay be positioned over the package tracksof the package conveyorin a perpendicular orientation where the drone trackshave a horizontal path (e.g., as illustrated in) and the package trackshave a vertical path (e.g., as illustrated in). The direction Dp for the package tracksmay be from left to right (e.g., as illustrated in) and the direction Dd for the drone tracksmay be from top to bottom (e.g., as illustrated in).

The delivery arrangementmay be configured with the above noted dispositions of the package conveyorand the drone conveyorsuch that each of the drone tracksmay be positioned over or “intersect” (e.g., when viewed from above) each of the package tracks. In this manner, a droneplaced on one of the drone tracksmay potentially be used to collect a packageon any of the package tracks. As will be described in further detail below, this configuration of the delivery arrangementmay be used to coordinate and orchestrate the dronesvia the drone conveyorto collect and deliver the packagesthat are placed on the package conveyor. With the package conveyordefining a package path along which the packagemoves while placed thereon and the drone conveyordefining a drone path along which the droneafter having landed thereon, the package trackand the drone trackmay create a collection point (e.g., an intersection point when viewed from above) where the droneis directly over the packagethat is assigned thereto so that the dronemay collect the packageand perform the delivery task.

In the exemplary embodiments, the coordination servermay include a communication programand a coordination program, and be in a communicative relationship with the delivery arrangementand the drones. The coordination servermay be an enterprise server, a laptop computer, a notebook, a tablet computer, a netbook computer, a PC, a desktop computer, a server, a PDA, a rotary phone, a touchtone phone, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a virtual device, a thin client, an IoT device, or any other electronic device or computing system capable of receiving and sending data to and from other computing devices. While the coordination serveris shown as a single device, in other embodiments, the coordination servermay be comprised of a cluster or plurality of computing devices, working together or working independently. The coordination serveris described in greater detail as a hardware implementation with reference to(e.g., data processing according to the exemplary embodiments being performed by processor), as part of a cloud implementation with reference to(e.g., the deviceaccording to the exemplary embodiments being represented by the desktop computerB), and/or as utilizing functional abstraction layers for processing with reference to(e.g., workload layerincluding coordination processingaccording to the exemplary embodiments).

In the exemplary embodiments, the communication programmay be a software, hardware, and/or firmware application configured to exchange data with the various components of the robot-based delivery system. For example, the communication programmay exchange data with the delivery arrangementand the drones(e.g., either on or off the drone conveyor). The communication programmay gather information about the components of the robot-based delivery systemfor subsequent processing to provide the features of the exemplary embodiments. The coordination servermay be configured with one or more communication protocols such as those described above with regard to the network. In this manner, the communication programmay exchange data with the components of the robot-based delivery systemusing one or more of these communication protocols (e.g., use a near field communication protocol for components housed in the warehouse, use a long range or network communication protocol for the dronesthat are outside the warehouse, etc.).

In the exemplary embodiments, the coordination programmay be a software, hardware, and/or firmware application configured to coordinate the dronesin collecting and delivering the packagesbased on various inputs from the package conveyor, the packages, the drone conveyor, and the dronesalong with other information that may be available. For example, the coordination programmay access a data repository (not shown) that stores historical performance data including maintenance time information, maintenance type information, etc. that may be determined based on various machine learning techniques and/or modeling techniques. As will be described in further detail below, the coordination programmay track the drones, the packages, the drone conveyor, and the package conveyoralong with information exchanged therewith to determine a manner in which to position the droneson the drone conveyorto allow maintenance tasks to be performed where the maintenance is completed prior to (e.g., immediately prior to) the dronecollecting the packagefor a next delivery. For example, the coordination programmay determine or know the direction and speed of each of the package tracksof the package conveyorand the packagesthat have been placed thereon as well as for the drone tracksof the drone conveyorand the dronesthat have been placed thereon in addition to the dronesthat have yet to be placed on the drone tracks.

depicts an exemplary flowchart of a methodillustrating the operations of the coordination programincorporated in the robot-based delivery systemin coordinating the robot-based delivery system, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments. The methodmay relate to operations that are performed by the coordination programin coordinating the dronesto deliver the packages. The methodwill be described from the perspective of the coordinating servervia the coordination program.

The coordination programmay receive information from the drone(step). In a continuous monitoring operation, the coordination programmay receive information about the dronessuch as the performance information that is generated by the drones. The coordination programmay receive the performance information at one or more different times from the drones. For example, the coordination programmay constantly or at predetermined intervals receive the performance information from each of the drones. The coordination programmay receive the performance information during times when the dronesare within the warehouse, regardless of whether the dronesare within the warehouse(e.g., provide the performance information while the dronesare within the warehouseand outside the warehousewhile making a delivery), etc. In another example, the coordination programmay receive the performance information upon the dronesreturning from a delivery. The dronesmay have generated the performance information which is prepared for transmission when the dronehas returned to the warehouse. In an exemplary embodiment, the robot-based delivery systemmay utilize IoT feeds in which the dronesprovide the performance information.

The dronesmay include one or more internal sensors (not shown) that track the various parameters of the performance information. For example, the dronesmay include a battery meter that measures a current amount of battery power remaining. In another example, the dronesmay include levels, gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc. that tracks how the droneflies, moves, etc. from the warehouseto the destination and back (e.g., whether the droneremains level, whether the dronewobbles, etc.). In a further example, the dronesmay include a processing power meter that measures the processing power that is being used that may also be tracked based on a ratio of the power consumption.

The dronesmay provide additional information. For example, the additional information from a given one of the dronesmay uniquely identify that drone. The identity of the dronemay also have a profile (e.g., stored in a data repository (not shown)) that indicates a capacity, specification, etc. that defines the various capabilities and mechanisms that the droneuses to collect and deliver the packages. The capacity may define a range of loads that may be collected and delivered by the drone. The specification may define expected performance ranges of the various parameters that are measured by the sensors. The expected performance ranges may be based on the load being carried. For example, a heavier load may require a greater amount of power and a lesser maximum distance that may be traveled including a return trip without the load whereas a lighter load may require a lesser amount of power and a greater maximum distance that may be traveled including a return trip without the load.

The coordination programmay determine maintenance needs for the drone(step). Based on the performance information and the profile (e.g., the expected performance ranges) for a given one of the drones, the coordination programmay determine one or more maintenance needs that the dronemay require.

The coordination programmay utilize various modeling techniques, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. that correlate the performance information to the expected performance ranges indicated in the profile for the drone. For example, the coordination programmay utilize machine learning to identify mechanical issues with particular performance measurements. In a particular example, the dronemay include a plurality of motors and propellors with each propellor having a plurality of blades. The sensors on the dronemay have generated sensory data with regard to an orientation measurement during flight in which the dronehas an unsteady level. Based on the machine learning models, the coordination programmay receive this performance information and determine that the dronemay have a motor or blade failure that caused the unsteady level (e.g., the dronemay have an expected steadiness metric range where the unsteady level is outside the expected steadiness metric range). In another example, the coordination programmay utilize artificial intelligence to identify electrical issues with particular performance measurements. In a particular example, the dronemay measure that a flight having a known distance utilizes an amount of power that exceeded an expected amount. Based on the artificial intelligence models, the coordination programmay receive this performance information and determine that the battery on the dronemay require replacement, the power conductors may require inspection or replacement, etc. The coordination programmay utilize other information and the appropriate models to specifically identify the potential issue that requires maintenance (e.g., heat levels of the electrical conductors). In a further example, the coordination programmay receive performance information indicating a measure of the remaining power in a battery of the drone. Based on unassigned packagesyet to be collected and their respective destinations along with potential power in the battery should a recharge operation be performed prior to collection of the package, the coordination programmay assign one of the unassigned packagesto the droneand determine a minimum amount to recharge the battery once the unassigned packageis assigned to the dronewhere the minimum amount to recharge may be based on a current power level of the battery, the specification of the drone, and the assigned delivery task including distance to be traveled, weight of the package, weather conditions, etc.

The coordination programmay categorize or classify the types of maintenance tasks that may be required for the drone. For example, the maintenance tasks may be categorized based on whether maintenance may be performed with equipment and any parts already positioned with the delivery arrangementor whether additional equipment or parts are required. The warehousemay be equipped with a plurality of different maintenance robots configured to perform a plurality of maintenance tasks on the drones. The maintenance robots may be positioned near the delivery arrangementfor the maintenance tasks to be performed once the droneshave been placed on the drone conveyor. The maintenance robots may have access to various parts (e.g., replacement blade, replacement carriage, etc.) should the maintenance tasks require a part of the droneto be replaced. The maintenance robots may also have access to a power source so that a contact of the power source is paired with a corresponding contact of the droneto recharge the battery of the drone. In another exemplary embodiment, the drone tracksmay be configured with contactless charging techniques such that the dronebeing placed on one of the drone tracksmay trigger the recharge operation on the battery of the drone. The maintenance tasks may also require additional components that are not readily available (e.g., in proximity of the maintenance robots) or require a manual operation by a user (e.g., the maintenance robot may not be configured for a particularly complex maintenance task or the specific maintenance task may be unknown based on the performance information). In this manner, according to an exemplary implementation, the coordination programmay classify the different maintenance tasks based on a timing requirement where standard maintenance tasks that the maintenance robots may handle with equipment and/or parts readily available have a relatively low timing requirement whereas complex maintenance tasks that the maintenance robots may not handle or the equipment and/or parts are not readily available have a relatively high timing requirement. The maintenance tasks may vary in the timing requirements and the coordination programmay classify each of these maintenance tasks accordingly across a range of timing requirement values.

In another exemplary implementation in determining the maintenance tasks to be performed on the drones, the coordination programmay utilize indirect information about the drones. The indirect information may be indirect performance information as generated by a component or device that is not a part of the drones. For example, the warehousemay include imagers or other types of sensors that monitor the area within and/or outside the warehouse. Accordingly, when the dronesare within a proximity to the sensors or enter an operating area of the sensors, the indirect performance information may be generated. The coordination programmay receive the indirect performance information. The coordination programmay determine the maintenance needs of the dronesbased on the performance information directly provided by the drones, the indirect performance information provided by the sensors of the warehouse, or a combination thereof.

The coordination programmay determine a time required for the maintenance needs of the dronebased on the one or more maintenance tasks to be performed on the drone(step). For example, as described above, the coordination programmay utilize the classification of the maintenance tasks to determine the time required to perform the maintenance tasks identified for the drone. The coordination programmay determine the timing requirements of the maintenance tasks based on various sources of information. For example, the coordination programmay utilize historical learning to estimate the time required for the different types of maintenance activity. The coordination programmay also factor the availability of the maintenance robots and/or personnel to perform the identified maintenance tasks. For example, a maintenance robot configured to perform one of the identified maintenance tasks may be preoccupied performing the same maintenance tasks on another one of the drones. Accordingly, the completion time on this other dronemay be added to the time requirement of the current droneincluding any movement time to the current drone, preparation time, etc.

The coordination programmay further determine which of the packagesto assign to the dronefor a next delivery. In determining an optimization solution, the coordination programmay determine which of the packagesare yet to be assigned. In an exemplary embodiment, the coordination programmay select one of the unassigned packagesand assign it to the dronefor the next delivery. For example, the coordination programmay utilize the specification of the dronethat may indicate a load that is capable of being delivered by the drone. In this manner, the coordination programmay have an input to make subsequent determinations. The coordination programmay iterate this process, particularly if the subsequent determinations indicate that the dronemay be incapable of completing the next delivery to the assigned packagebased on, for example, maintenance needs, time for preparation to collect the assigned package, etc. The coordination programmay select another unassigned packagefor the drone. The coordination programmay further be configured to dynamically modify the assignment of packages. For example, when a dronebecomes available for a next delivery, the dronemay be incapable of being assigned one of the remaining unassigned packagesdue to a variety of reasons that results in an efficiency threshold of the robot-based delivery systemfrom being met. In such a scenario, the coordination programmay select an already assigned one of the packagesand re-assign this package to the drone. This process may continue until each of the droneshas been assigned a package for the next delivery. In this manner, the coordination programmay determine the appropriate maintenance needs of the droneassigned to a given one of the packages(e.g., whether more time is needed to charge a battery for the droneto complete the delivery).

The coordination programmay determine a position of the droneon the drone conveyor(step). The coordination programmay determine a select one among the drone tracksand a location on the selected drone trackon which to position the drone. The coordination programmay select the drone trackand position the droneon this drone trackbased on the maintenance needs of the drone, the time required to perform the one or more maintenance tasks associated with the maintenance needs, and the packagethat is assigned to the dronefor the next delivery.

Using the time required to perform the maintenance tasks of a selected one of the drones, the coordination programmay select the appropriate one of the drone tracksand place the dronethereon at an appropriate position on the selected drone trackso that a delivery queue progression speed and maintenance time for the selected droneand other dronesare synchronized. In this manner, the dronesmay be prepared for a next delivery for an assigned one of the packages. Based on the types of maintenance tasks that are required on the drone(e.g., battery replacement, blade replacement, recharging, oiling, etc.) that may be properly classified, the coordination programmay determine the location on the drone trackin order to perform all required maintenance tasks on the dronewhile the droneis moved into position via the drone trackto collect the assigned package. In a particular implementation, the coordination programmay select the drone trackand the location thereon to accommodate one or more types of maintenance. Specifically for a plurality of maintenance tasks to be performed, the dronemay land on the drone trackat a determined location where multiple maintenance tasks may be performed in parallel. In another implementation, the dronemay be moved from one of the drone tracksto another one of the drone tracksso that the time required to perform the maintenance tasks may be optimized (e.g., to complete the maintenance tasks), thereby maximizing the utilization of the drone.

As described above, the coordination programmay determine which of the drone trackson which to land a selected one of the dronesas well as a location on the identified drone track based on an optimization solution. The coordination programmay determine the optimization solution as there may be at least one more of the dronesthat is placed on the drone conveyorwith particular regard to the same selected drone trackfor the current drone. Thus, in determining the optimization solution, the coordination programmay estimate a distribution of different types of maintenance tasks for each of the dronesthat are and will be placed on the drone tracksof the drone conveyor. The coordination programmay determine the optimization solution by incorporating the time required for the maintenance tasks and coordinating that time and movement each of the droneson the drone conveyorto collect its assigned one of the packagesupon completion of the respective one or more of the maintenance tasks. The coordination programmay further determine the optimization solution by incorporating a variable of dynamically altering a length of the drone conveyor(e.g., by moving a dronefrom one of the drone tracksto another one of the drone tracks) and utilizing the maintenance robots that cover different portions of the drone conveyorthat address different types of maintenance tasks.

The coordination programmay further determine the optimization solution by incorporating further time factors as the time required to perform the maintenance tasks may not be the only time considerations. In this manner, the coordination programmay determine an additional time related to non-maintenance tasks that are required to be performed to prepare the dronefor the assigned delivery task. As each dronerequires a time to collect and secure (e.g., clamp the package, place the packageinto a carriage, etc.) the respectively assigned one of the packageson the package conveyoras well as need time to take off, the coordination programmay extend the time required to perform the maintenance tasks with this further time consideration. The coordination programmay utilize historical information that historically tracks the time required for collecting the packagesby the drones. The coordination programmay also estimate the speed of the drone conveyorand the package conveyorto further estimate a particular distance that the dronemoves on the drone conveyorto satisfy the total time for the drone(e.g., the time required for the one or more maintenance tasks to be completed and the additional time considerations). In this manner, the location of the droneon the drone conveyormay be synchronized with the collection of the assigned packageby the drone. In a particular exemplary embodiment, the coordination programmay determine the optimization solution individually for a given droneas well as holistically for the robot-based delivery systemincluding a plurality of the dronessuch that upon completion of the maintenance tasks for each of the drones, the droneswill immediately collect the assigned packageand be ready for delivery.

In an illustrative exemplary embodiment illustrated in, the robot-based delivery systemmay include a plurality of packagesand a plurality of dronesincluding a drone, a drone, and a drone. The packagesmay each include one or more products and may each include delivery labels and identification labels. The packagesmay already be placed on the package conveyorof the delivery arrangement. The coordination programmay monitor packagesthat have been collected and removed from the package conveyoras well as packagesthat have been processed and placed on the package conveyor. The coordination programmay also continuously monitor over time where the packagesthat are on the package conveyorare positioned including which of the package tracksand a location along the package tracks.

The dronesshown inmay be delivery robots that have already been placed on the drone conveyor. There may be a plurality of the dronesthat have already been placed on the drone conveyorincluding the drone. There may also be the dronesandthat are not yet placed on the drone conveyor. The dronesandmay be dronesthat are to collect and deliver a next one of the packageson the package conveyorthat has not been assigned to one of the dronesalready on the drone conveyor. For example, the droneand/or the dronemay have recently returned from a delivery, completed an off assembly-line repair (e.g., not on the delivery arrangement), have been newly added as one of the drones, etc.

In the manner described above, the coordination programmay individually determine a location on the drone conveyoron which the dronesandare to land based on the one or more maintenance tasks to be performed on the dronesand(e.g., as determined by the coordination programbased on various direct and indirect performance information). As illustrated, the coordination programmay have determined that the droneis to land on the drone conveyorat location La and the droneis to land on the drone conveyorat location Lb. As the drone tracksare moving in the direction Dd (e.g., from left to right as illustrated in), there may be relatively less time for the dronesto spend on the drone tracksif landing on one side of the drone trackas opposed to the other side. For example, as seen in, if landing further to the right, the dronehas less available time to spend on the drone conveyorwith the drone trackmoving at a particular speed and the dronehaving less space on the drone track. If landing further to the left, the dronehas more available time to spend on the drone conveyorwith the drone trackmoving at a particular speed and the dronehaving more space on the drone track. As the location of the dronesandbeing based on the time to complete the one or more maintenance tasks, the dronemay require one or more maintenance tasks that need a relatively longer amount of time to complete prior to collecting an assigned one of the packages. The dronemay require one or more maintenance tasks that need a relatively shorter amount of time to complete prior to collecting an assigned one of the packages. Accordingly, in the illustrative exemplary embodiment, the coordination programmay determine that the dronethat requires more time is to land at location La and the dronethat requires less time is to land at location Lb.

The coordination programmay determine whether positions of further ones of the dronesthat are already on the drone tracksof the drone conveyorare to be updated (decision). As described in detail above, the coordination programmay determine the optimization solution individually and holistically. In determining the optimization solution holistically, the placement of a given one of the dronesyet to be placed on the drone conveyormay result in one or more other dronesto be moved to accommodate the given drone.

As a result of the further ones of the droneshaving their respective positions updated (decision, “YES” branch), the coordination programmay determine the updates and transmit the appropriate instructions to the further ones of the drones(step). Thus, to optimize the utilization of the drones, the coordination programmay dynamically reposition the droneson the drone conveyorby transmitting the instructions that cause these dronesto move to the updated location on the drone conveyor. This orchestration of the dronesmay create an appropriate space to accommodate for the given drone. With reference again to the illustrative exemplary embodiment of, the dronemay have been located at the location Lb. However, as a result of the coordination programdetermining that the droneis to land at location Lb, the coordination programmay have instructed the droneto move further along the drone track(e.g., the dronehas already had its maintenance tasks completed). In this manner, the coordination programmay ensure that there is sufficient space for the droneto land as determined. As a result of the further ones of the droneshaving their respective positions maintained (decision, “NO” branch) or as a result of the further ones of the droneshaving updated positions (step), the coordination programmay transmit the appropriate instructions to the dronethat is to be placed on the drone conveyor(step). With the appropriate location on the drone conveyorbeing available and as a result of receiving the instruction, the given dronemay land on the drone conveyorat the determined location.